In March 2018 I sowed two batches of Gloriosa rothschildiana seed (one batch from ‘Chiltern Seeds’ the other from ‘Jungle Seeds’). I potted up 4 or 5 seedlings which I labelled simply as Gloriosa rothschildiana without reference to the seed source. An oversight on my part.
In the spring of 2020, I lifted and divided the tubers [which, in a pot, grow in a ‘V’] so I had about ten plants: most flowered that summer, but not profusely. This spring I divided them again yielding at least 20 plants; two casualties and all but 2 of the 18 survivors flowered, many of them profusely.
However, to my mind, there are two distinct species growing in my garden. Online, there are contradictory images and opinions about species, sub-species, and regional variations of Glory Lilies; indeed, the revered RHS talks of Gloriosa superba 'Rothschildiana'. Gloriosa superba is the national flower of Zimbabwe; I remember it well as I spent eight years in Harare [then Salisbury].
I was interested to see a comment in the ‘Sundries’ section of the latest TMG (No.106) which reads… “So, when the nurseryman or the seedsman offers a plant as a ‘species’-type, the true botanist may shake his head – and we gardeners would also do well to treat the description with caution.”
I attach two photographs, one labelled Gloriosa superba, the other by default as Gloriosa rothschildiana. Is there an expert out there in the Forum who can adjudicate?
I was able to collect seed this year, which I have contributed to the MGS Seed Exchange labelled as Gloriosa superba since all the seed pods which matured happened to be from one plant.
